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Y Mentoring

Supporting young people aged 9–14 to be their best.

The Y Mentoring programme pairs trained volunteer mentors with young people aged 9-14.

Over 12 months, the mentors and young people work to build the young person’s resilience, empower them to lead fulfilling lives, and improve their overall mental health and well-being.

The initial 19-month ‘Y’s Girls’ pilot supported 270 young women match with adult mentors and received the Family & Youth Work Project of the Year award at the Youth Matters Awards 2022.

Become a Y Mentor
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Enabling young people to belong, contribute and thrive.

  • 12 months funded programme                
  • Positive social and emotional learning skills development
  • Weekly sessions
  • Early and effective intervention
  • Young-person-centred and inclusive programme
  • Centre for Youth Impact evaluation outcome: ‘Clear relationship between quality and impact’. 
Download more information
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Mentoring relationships across 10 YMCAs across the United Kingdom

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young people currently being mentored

More about Y Mentoring

Expand your knowledge and gain experience working with young people as a mentor on the Y Mentoring project

Hear from the Project Coordinators about their experience
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Want to benefit from the support of a mentor?

We accept referrals from:

  • Schools

  •  Children’s services

  • Community organisations

  • Parents/Carers

  • The young person themselves

 

Contact us for an informal chat
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The Youth Impact Ambassador (YIA) project is a small research project for Y’s Girls, part of the Y Mentoring programme.

The YIA project aims to bridge the gap between research and practice, working with young people and youth workers to improve accessibility and inclusivity of Y’s Girls through a creative exploration of identity and belonging.

For more information, please contact the Research lead, Claudia Coussins at: claudia@claudiacoussinstherapy.com

 

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Help Y Mentoring reach more young people identified as ‘at risk’ of poor mental health.

Donate now
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'Early and effective intervention' - the Centre for Youth Impact

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The Y Mentoring programme has been made possible by generous funding from:

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport supports culture, arts, media, sport, tourism and civil society across every part of England — recognising the UK’s world-leading position in these areas and the importance of these sectors in contributing so much to our economy, way of life and our reputation around the world.

DCMS Website
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Benefact Trust exists to make a positive difference to people’s lives by funding, guiding and celebrating the work of churches and Christian charities; empowering the most vulnerable and giving people, communities and places a renewed opportunity to flourish.

Benefact Trust Website
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Y Mentoring programme matches young people aged 9–14 years old with a trained volunteer mentor from their community.

The mentor will spend up to two hours per week with the young person, doing fun activities that the young person is interested in.

Y Mentoring is entirely voluntary. The young person can opt-out at any time. Parents will be informed of any changes.

Your young person’s details may have been passed to us by a local agency that feels they may benefit from having a mentor. This may be done via school or another agency your young person has contact with. The young person may have self-referred to access the Y Mentoring programme.

The mentoring relationship lasts for around one year, but this can change depending on the young person’s circumstances.

All records of activities and information for monitoring and evaluation purposes are kept securely and are careful to uphold your confidentiality.

The mentor will come to your home to pick the young person you care for up. The mentor will inform you of their planned activity, the location and the estimated time of return. Mentors are encouraged to use public transport and only use their car to transport a young person with your consent.

All mentors undergo mandatory safeguarding checks (PVG, DBS etc.) and have references undertaken before recruitment.

Mentors also receive specific training and ongoing support to help them choose activities that are both safe and fun, as well as adhering to YMCA policies and procedures.

The Project Coordinator receives regular reports about the activities to keep an overview, and our young people are regularly asked for their feedback.

Parent and carer views are fundamental to us. You will regularly have the opportunity to give your thoughts when the young person’s action plan is reviewed and at any agreed visits to your home.

You can also contact the Project Coordinator directly to raise any issues. We welcome any feedback to improve the service, and you can always email or contact us below.

You can contact us for an informal chat anytime.

Fill in our quick contact us form below.

Y Mentoring Contact

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Y Mentoring Contact Form

Contact form for Y Mentoring

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